Today I am going to show you my new favorite plugin! The plugin is called AddThis Smart Layers and its main job is to help increase your blog pageview and engagement! We like pageviews right? (wink!)
The plugin is called AddThis Smart Layers. This plugin has several different options including share buttons, follow buttons, and my favorite the “What’s Next” feature. AddThis describes this feature as, “When a desktop visitor scrolls down your page, a box will slide in at the bottom to promote the next best step (post).
To see a live example of the plugin in action you can visit this post on my blog and scroll to the bottom. Watch for the little box to fly in from the right hand side. Fun huh? This “what’s next” box is just another way to circulate your content and keep readers engaged and on your site.
To Install the Plugin:
1. Login to your blog dashboard.
2. Click on “Plugins” on the left hand side.
3. Search for AddThis Smart Layers.
4. Click Install.
5. Click Active.
Setting Up the Plugin:
1. On your dashboard go to “Settings” and then “AddThis Smart Layers”. Your screen should look like this …
2. From here you can manage your preferences. You can choose to turn any of the options On/Off so go through and choose what you like for your own site. There is a “Preview” on the right hand side to show you what each option looks like on the desktop, mobile, and tablet version of your site.
- Follow Icons. Personally I think these might be a little redundant if you already have your social media icons near the top of your site, but I LOVE how it adds the follow buttons to your mobile site.
- Share Icons. These will be on the left hand side of your blog. After someone “shares” a awesome little screen pops up and says “Thanks for sharing!”.
- What’s Next. This is my favorite option! All you need to do is turn it “On” and the plugin will do the rest!
- Recommended Content. If you don’t already have Link Within or Nrelate installed on your blog then this is also a great option!
If you have any problems installing or setting up this plugin let me know in the comment box! And thanks for reading!
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Thanks for sharing this – I’ve been looking for a link within alternative!
Yes, it is a great way to show past related content!
And your share icons look great! 🙂
Love this! Thanks so much for sharing.
Michelle @ On A Wing And A Prayer
Your welcome! Glad you like it!
Looks great! Off to install it now!
I tried installing it to my site (lifeunfluffed.com), but nothing is showing up!
Sometimes it take a little bit to show up. Is it working now?
Hi! I installed this last night. The Follow portion works but not the ‘What’s Next’. It still doesn’t show up. I that enabled and “Recommended For You” disabled however that shows up.
Now to make it even more interesting, that only works in FireFox/Palemoon but nothing works in IE 11.
Suggestions?
Oh boy Lori. Sounds like you have a whole lot of issues here. Without seeing your code, I am afraid I am not much help. Happy to recommend some tech services though if you’d like more help from someone who has time to go in and check it all out. xoxo Tauni
Kendra,
My version of WordPress does not have a plug in option. Why? Is there a work around to add the plug in? .
Carmen, You’re working off of WordPress.com to expand your options and add functionality, you need to move to WordPress.org and host with a private carrier. Good luck! xoxo Tauni
This is so fun but it’s not popping up something on my blog when I scroll to the bottom. It only shows the share buttons on the left hand side. I have everything turned on too!
Hi!
Maybe you’ve stopped using this function now? I checked the blog page you linked and I’m not getting any “what’s next” flying in?
Hi Brit, it looks like Kendra may have removed this plugin from her site. Sorry there isn’t a preview available! –Tauni
I am definitely going to check on this plug in. I’ve been looking for something similar to this. Thanks! Be sure to check out my blog. Any tips would be helpful.
I do not see a “plug ins” option when I log into my dashboard. I am currently utilizing the “free” account that Word Press offers. Could this be the reason?
Sorry for the delay in response. I’ve been enjoying the holiday season. It’s possible that if you’re using a WordPress.com account it may not have all the functionality. I am not as familiar as my site is a self-hosted account. Good luck! Tauni